<p>OMG, SlitheyTove, those are fabulous! I’m e-mailing this to hubby: this is what I want for my big fat birthday party. We are going to show those neighbors (the ones who have a custom Italian car with a built-in flat screen TV and Earth-shattering stereo) who’s got the big bucks :D</p>
<p>My daughter is 21 and LOVES inflatables! I’m emailing her the link as we speak!</p>
<p>Hmmm…not sure I can handle being strapped in one of those balls though to be rolled around…woozy already! Maybe the robo-surf! I’ve always wanted to try surfing.</p>
<p>LOL. Okay, so we have determined the following in this thread:</p>
<p>1) Lexuses are inappropriate for teenagers
2) Bouncy castles are appropriate for teenagers</p>
<p>Umm…make (2) Bouncy castles are appropriate for teenagers AND old folks</p>
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<p>See, that kind of stuff just takes money. Foam pits and inflatable jousting and outer space mountains, that takes letting out your inner 13 year old. :)</p>
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<p>DONE! =)</p>
<p>1) Lexuses are inappropriate for teenagers
2) Bouncy castles are appropriate for teenagers and old folks</p>
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<p>You’re going to have to point out where I said they were not. </p>
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<p>Again, please point out where I said “the basics.” I do not consider a safer and more reliable car than a Lexus to be a “basic” option. I do think that basing any purchase on it’s name brand should not be encouraged nor do I admire it.</p>
<p>As for higher education, it’s certainly worth looking into at least, isn’t it? However, a more expensive education can be a better fit for a student whereas a Pontiac Vibe is, in fact, more likely to get a person from Point A to Point B than a Lexus (based on Consumer Reports information.) </p>
<p>All expenses should be weighed personal gain against greater good. Including education. Including food. Including clothing. Including housing. </p>
<p>Lastly, I completely rejected the idea that there is no difference between a, say, Hummerand a Honda. Or that there is no difference between a 1000sqft house and 5000sqft house. Everyone pays for subsidizing gas; everyone pays for loss of green space, outsized water and power needs.</p>
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<p>Yeah, more elaborate than that, but I don’t want to flaunt it ;-)</p>
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<p>But that’s because I think you’re acting as though the only motivating reason to buy a Lexus is because there is some implicit prestige / recognition of the name. Why assume that “impressing the neighbors” enters into people’s minds when they purchase a Lexus? I mean, of all the cars to pick on – if we were talking a Ferrari or a Rolls, I might get it – but a Lexus? A more boring upper-middle-class-suburban-mom car you can’t find. I mean, it’s like thinking it’s “prestigious” to go to Starbucks and get a latte. It’s pretty mass prestige. </p>
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<p>Do you mean all of your expenses are weighed against what good that money could do for society? Because frankly, unless you’re living the lifestyle of Mother Teresa, I don’t buy it. We’re all making decisions to spend our money as we see fit. Whether it’s computers or college or cars or clothing or restaurants or vacations or just watching it grow in the bank. Presumably the people who are buying Lexuses (Lexi?) for their kids are doing the same, and that’s how they want to spend their money. </p>
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<p>I despise the gas-guzzling nature of Hummers, but no more for a 16 yo than for a 46 yo.</p>
<p>And personally? The kinds of clunkers that are being picked up for a couple hundred or thousand bucks and being rescued by those who think they are taking a moral high ground of sorts? Those are the clunkers that should be off the road, anyway. I don’t see anything more inherently superior, morally speaking, in spending a couple hundred bucks for kid to drive a gas-guzzling, unsafe clunker.</p>
<p>“The kinds of clunkers that are being picked up for a couple hundred or thousand bucks and being rescued by those who think they are taking a moral high ground of sorts? Those are the clunkers that should be off the road, anyway. I don’t see anything more inherently superior, morally speaking, in spending a couple hundred bucks for kid to drive a gas-guzzling, unsafe clunker.”</p>
<p>I haven’t seen anybody on this thread promoting putting their kid in a car that would likely be classified as a clunker. As a matter of fact, I think there was specific mention made of dealer demos with 3,000 miles on them and all the bells and whistles. That hardly qualifies as a clunker. “Used” car does not equate to “clunker”. Why do you keep going back to that line of reasoning? Quite frankly, you sound as though you’re talking down to people when you do that but maybe you don’t realize how it comes across to others.</p>
<p>People here who have chosen to support the gift of a Lexus to a 15 year old seem to think that those of us who don’t agree with that action only believe “in spending a couple hundred bucks for kid to drive a gas-guzzling, unsafe clunker”. I would daresay that people driving the kinds of clunkers you’re describing are people who can’t afford anything better, not people trying to appear morally superior.</p>
<p>I think larger vehicles may actually be better for teens. Sure, trucks and SUVs can roll easier, but they also tend to perform better in collisions. Not to mention they are typically much slower than some of the alternatives.</p>
<p>Yes, like my Volvo SUV. It doesn’t move. Maybe I should let D2 have it, and I will get a M5. Oh wait, I am still paying for tuitions. Maybe my kids will buy me one someday - paying backward.</p>
<p>^^^ You shoulda had (bought) the V8 - mine moves pretty fast and the bigger engine really helps with merging and climbing those hills.</p>
<p>I have the V8.
I was much happier with the X5.</p>
<p>^^^ LOL, that one is too bumpy for me. Most SUVs are, but Volvo has a comfortable ride.</p>
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Here’s why. A 60k car might have a 40k loan. That loan, for most people is close to 1k/month. For the vast majority of people that’s just a massive amount of post tax money to be spending on a car. That’s a lot of money for most families.</p>
<p>In my neighborhood- I think a Lexus is a grandma car.
People my age drive a SUV- smaller ones or Prius.
People my daughters age, ride scooters, drive mini coopers or Volvos/Subarus/Toyotas that are a few years old- or they have some sort of biodiesel conversion goin on.
Have you seen how they drive in Bellevue?
If I lived over there, I would make sure my kid had either a Mercedes sedan that was built like a tank, or a Volvo.</p>
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<p>Yes, it is. I was making the assumption that the people who are spending this kind of money on cars have the money.</p>
<p>I guess the real question is – is it still “flaunting” if it’s being spent by people who have the kind of money who can easily afford it? Or is it only “flaunting” if it’s being spent by people who are otherwise jeopardizing their financial health to get it (and to heck with junior’s braces or grandma’s diabetes medication)? </p>
<p>Because honestly, there ARE people for whom buying a $35K car for a 16 yo is as inconsequential (from a financial standpoint) as me spending a couple of bucks at McDonald’s. Look at how we’ve talked on this board in general about developmental admits. For the kinds of people who can donate $10MM for a building, $35K for a car really is pocket change.</p>
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When a person under 30 drives a luxury car (even if it is an entry level luxury car) it’s to impress people. Simple. As. That.</p>
<p>Now, I have no problem with that. Humans are social animals and looking for a positional advantage in society is one of the things that makes our society work. Just don’t deny that buying a Lexus/Mercedes/Porsche has a different meaning than a Honda/Ford/Toyota.</p>
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<p>You’re wrong on this, though. You’re making sweeping judgments as to people’s motivations, and you’re wrong.</p>